Diced tomatoes
by bballlove
Summary: Sam/Andy interaction when they unexpectedly bump into each other


**DICED TOMATOES**

She pushed her nearly full shopping cart down the canned goods isle, squinting her face unattractively as she racked her brain trying very hard to remember exactly what it was she needed. This is what happens when you forget your shopping list at home. She had left the house in such a hurry that she had forgotten the damn thing on the counter, right next to the coupons she had cut out of the paper that morning. What a big waste of time that had been, they wouldn't do her any good now. If her dad hadn't informed her not long ago that he needed his car back by three pm instead of the eight pm they had agreed upon earlier she wouldn't have been outrageously rushed. It was already almost one-thirty pm and unfortunately grocery shopping was only the first thing on her list of to dos. She definitely needed her own car, stat.

She steered her cart over to the side of the isle so that others could pass while she stood staring helplessly at the wall of the canned beans. She had kept a recipe for a bean salad that had sounded delicious, but what type of beans was it that she needed? She desperately tried to envision the recipe, she didn't have time to stand around like an idiot. Kidney beans rang a bell so she tossed a can into her cart, followed by a can of black beans, lima beans, and finally two cans of pinto beans. Figuring she had all the bases covered and couldn't have missed anything she quickly turned and began to make her way over to the freezer isle.

Opening the door of the freezer to further examine her frozen veggie selection a sudden chill shot through her entire body. She was immediately thank full for the warm sweater she was wearing, however as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the frosty door her comfort turned to embarrassment as she realized how dishevelled her appearance was. She had dressed accordingly for daily chores in an old ripped pair of jeans and her old very well worm Kenny Chesney sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun with a few loose strands framing her makeup-less face. She just hadn't bothered, besides, she wasn't at the grocery store to impress. Coming to her senses she remembered her time crisis and settled on a large back of broccoli, two bags of snap peas, and one larger bag of a carrot and pea mixture. Now with only one last stop to be made at the deli she realized that if she hurried through this she might actually stand a good chance of making the day workout in her favour.

As she stood patiently behind an overweight man whom smelled distinctly of body odour and potatoes; disgusting. She looked up at the clock hanging above the deli counter and couldn't help but notice how her time was slowly beginning to tick away. A sharp tinge of pain shot up her leg and pulled her gaze from the clock as she turned to tear a strip off the individual who had just rammed the back of her leg with a cart. She quickly turned, her face starting to redden with anger as she began to speak.

"Jesus, can you watch where your going?"

As soon as she opened her mouth she was immediately struck with regret, feeling her face burn with embarrassment she turned her eyes to the tiled floor, avoiding eye contact with the man who now stood in front of her.

"_And here I thought you only had a temper at work McNally."_

"Sam, I'm so sorry, I just…I'm a little stressed right now."

"_I should be the one apologizing Andy, I could have broken an ankle there, and we wouldn't want that."_

"I think I'll survive Swarek. I mean, I survive riding with you everyday don't I?

"_Low blow McNally, low blow."_

Scanning the items that littered her cart he let out a muffled laugh, he stopped counting the frozen pizzas when he got to five and didn't even attempt to count the dangerous stack of Hungry Mans that were piled highly. Hoping she hadn't noticed the chuckle he turned his attention to her face and catching her eyes he let a smile escape his lips, then continued to admire she flushed features before finally speaking.

"_I had no idea you ate so well McNally."_

"Oh this? No, it's for Tommy obviously. My stuff is underneath his, salad and fresh fruit and…Stuff like that."

"_Yeah, okay. I'm just surprised you haven't contracted scurvy by now."_

"Very funny. I used to eat healthy you know, before the academy."

She was hardly paying attention to their conversation, her focus had been on Sam and his appearance for the longest time. He was wearing dark fitted jeans, black dress shoes; shiny but not polished, and a snug light blue button up shirt that was casually buttoned half way up; a white t-shirt slightly peeking out. This was a side of Sam that she had never seen, a sight that had her nearly speechless. He always looked good, but this was a whole new kind of amazing. She awkwardly wiped her mouth expecting to find drool however was pleasantly surprised when her hand came back dry. Thank god. She peered into his cart and immediately came to the realization that this was no regular trip to the grocery store for Sam. He spoke, once again breaking her train of thought.

"_See something you like McNally?"_

"What? No. Definitely not."

"_Well then would you be so kind as to stop staring."_

"I've just never seen you so dressed up, that's all."

"_It looks weird I know, don't even think about telling anyone at work about this."_

"Swarek, trust me, it does not look bad at all."

"_Thanks McNally. You look…Comfortable."_

"Ugh well, not all of us dress in our Sunday best to hit the grocery store you know."

"_I was kidding McNally, you look great."_

She did, he hadn't lied when he spoke. In fact, he hadn't really been aware of what she was even wearing until she herself had pointed it out. He moved his eyes up and down her body, trying very hard to pick out the flaws she so often spoke of. He struggled not to stop his gaze on any one area for too long, staring was rude after all. Although she was clearly dressed down he found her relaxed style incredibly sexy. He may have been staring at her low cut jeans which were hugging her trim hips firmly when her curious voice broke his mesmerized gaze.

"Wow, looks like someone's got a fancy meal planned for tonight."

"_Huh?"_

"Steaks, potatoes, salad, pasta…What's on the menu?"

"_You just listed it."_

"Well it sounds amazing."

"_What about you? A toss up between Hawaiian and meat lovers?"_

"Yes actually, you read my mind."

He suddenly wished he was cooking this meal for her. Maybe he could talk his was out of his plans for the night…She interrupted his planning.

"Hey I almost forgot Swarek, Tommy gave me a couple of tickets to some hockey game tomorrow night. Dov and Chris are both working so, I don't know if you're free or not but…"

"_Hockey game? As in the Toronto vs. Ottawa game? The one that's sold out? Only the biggest preseason game ever? That one?"_

"Yeah I guess so."

"_I didn't even know you liked hockey."_

"I'm full of surprises."

"_So let me get this straight. You're only inviting my because Epstein and Diaz are busy? I wasn't even you're first choice? Ouch."_

"Hey, you should be happy I even asked alright. You're busy though, so I mean if you have plans then I'm sure I can find someone else."

"_Nothing so important that I can't reschedule McNally."_

"Good. Then it's uhh…"

"_A date? I'll pick you up at seven?"_

"That sounds gre-."

She turned her head as she caught a glimpse of a familiar looking blonde who was making her way towards the two of them. As she got closer she was able to clearly identify her as Monica, the gorgeous blonde who Sam had dated, and who by the looks of things was still seeing. She was smilingly friendly at her but at the same time obviously curious as she came to a stop at Sam's side. She watched as a shade of red shot across Sam's face as Monica placed a kiss on his neck while staring up at him adoringly. She was too short for him, ugh, and her nose was big, her hair…Obviously not a natural blonde. Andy was busy with her thoughts, wondering whether Sam was blushing now because of her or because of Monica, she realized Monica was speaking to her.

"_It's Andy right?"_

"Yep."

"_Sam talks about you like, all the time. It feels like I know you as good as he does. Funny right?"_

"Huh, yeah. Super funny."

"_Sam didn't mention that you live nearby."_

"Uhh yeah, we don't live far from each other. We're pretty close."

"_I see, so how's your weekend going? And big plans? It's like super rare that you guys have Friday and Saturday night off isn't it?"_

"Yep. Nope, no big plans. You?"

"_No, Sam's cooking me dinner tonight aren't you sweetie, and then I think we're just going to have a quiet night in."_

She cringed, he must hate being called sweetie. She changed her tone, finding it very difficult to not come across as rude.

"Those are always nice."

"_I heard you and the detective broke up a while ago, I'm sorry to heat that. He was definitely a cutie hey?"_

"I guess. It was for the best."

"_Usually is. Hey look, if you're not busy tomorrow night Sam promised to take me to that new romantic comedy that just opened up. You're more then welcome to join us, It'd be fun."_

Before she could utter a single word Sam interrupted.

"_Actually Monica, Andy just asked me if I-."_

Andy cut back in, not allowing him to finish. How could she have let this happen? Feeling like an idiot for having made a fool of herself she decided that she didn't really need pasta salad and that it would be better to just head shamefully to the check-out.

"You know what Monica, romantic comedies aren't really my thing, thanks for the invite thought; I hope you two enjoy it."

"_Okay well, maybe next time then? I thought you'd probably have plans anyways."_

"Yeah I do actually. Or I did. Maybe next time."

"_Hot date?"_

"What? Oh no, well, not anymore actually, just plans with uhh…Traci."

She was in panic mode now and there was no obvious sign of escape.

Her entire body felt weak as a sudden wave of nausea flooded over her, embarrassment racking her entire self as she struggled to hold back tears. She caught the expression that was plastered across Sam's face, he looked concerned, although he really had no reason to be. She had made a fool of herself and although he had seemed excited about their "date" only a few seconds ago; she knew asking him had been a mistake. She shouldn't have assumed he would be waiting for her after all this time. He didn't deserve to be lonely, and she should have opened her eyes; expecting this too happen. She couldn't help but feeling let down, although it was no clear to her that she owed it to Sam to let him be. She would leave him and Monica, they could be happy together, she shouldn't hinder that. He had never intertwined with Luke, it was only fair. As much as it pained her to admit, it was probably for the best anyways. None the less, the heart aching pain she was currently experiencing nearly sent her into convulsions. She could feel a tear about to break free, she need to get out of there.

"Wow, it's almost two thirty, I better get going. Their having a big sale on diced tomatoes and I haven't made my way over there yet. Yikes."

"_Andy wait…"_

He wasn't done talking.

"Have a good night you two."

Sam watched as she turned and swiftly pushed her cart away in an obvious hurry. He shouted as she got further and further away, he hope she heard his last words.

"_See you Sunday Andy."_

Of course she didn't turn, he already knew she wouldn't, but at least he had tried. Looking down at Monica he smiled, knowing she wouldn't see right through his fake expression as he looked back towards where Andy had disappeared. He was struck with guilt as he stared blankly at the deli counter unable to comprehend what had just happened. He had been waiting for her to come to him like she just had since her and Callaghan split, and now, when she had finally built up the courage to make a move this is how he reacts? He'd been waiting so long for that very moment and he had let it slip away without even so much as an argument. He generally didn't make mistakes, but the sick feeling in his stomach told him that this had certainly been one; a big one. He could feel Monica's eyes burning a hole in the side of his face, he knew he should say something to bring himself back to reality but he didn't know what. He accidentally let a thought slip out, which earned him a somewhat dissatisfied glare from the blonde holding onto his arm.

"_She doesn't even like tomatoes you know."_

His thoughts were on the woman whom had just left him, and no where near the one holding him tightly now. He continued to pretend to be studying the meat selection all while thinking to himself that it was going to be a very long night.


End file.
